Bhubaneswar: Startup Odisha Yatra and Startup Xpress have achieved a remarkable milestone with more than 2050 ideas being collected in just 15 days.
As the Yatra continues reaching out to more districts, a huge number of ideas are pouring in from the student community. This astounding success in idea generation is a testament to the core idea of the Yatra that is to instil entrepreneurial spirit among young minds.
As Odisha aspires to recognize and nurture 5000 Startups by 2025, Odisha Startup Yatra and Startup Xpress are playing an important role in fulfilling this vision. It becomes a launch pad for idea generation from school and college students thus setting a high benchmark with out-of-the-box ideas.
So far, the Yatra has covered 26 districts of the State, visiting 144 colleges and 45 schools with participation from more than 19,716 students. Yesterday, the vans visited 7 colleges and 4 schools, and received 81 ideas with participation from 1100 students.
The excitement and enthusiasm from the student community was palpable with their passionate pitches, said officials.
Odisha Startup Yatra & Xpress, taking its journey forward will tour Nuapada District, while visiting few other institutions of Sundargarh & Koraput today to foster entrepreneurship and innovation at district-level.
Today, Odisha Startup Yatra & Xpress will cover Holy Home Educational Complex, Khariar Public School, Western Odisha Residential Public School & Model Degree College in Nuapada District.
In Koraput, the vans will visit Vikram Dev University & SLN Medical College. In Sundargarh District, the vans will reach out to ANK DAV Public School, UGIE – Rourkela, SK DAV Government Polytechnic & Govt. Autonomous College.
The aim of Startup Odisha Yatra and Startup Xpress 2023 is to encourage grassroots innovators and promote entrepreneurship among them. In the 2023 edition of the Yatra, Startup Odisha has four dedicated vans that will cover all 30 districts of the state.
After remarkable achievements in the past edition, this year Odisha Startup Yatra aims to leap forward by visiting 200+ colleges and 60+ schools thus impacting 25,000+ students. With a core focus on guiding and empowering young minds at the grassroot level in the realms of innovation and entrepreneurship, the initiatives seek to equip them for harnessing the ample opportunities within the startup ecosystem.
After completion of the tour, 25 Ideas will be invited to O-Hub for the demo day out of which 10 will be awarded seed funding worth Rs 3 lakh each to develop their ideas into viable startup ventures.
Additionally, top 20 ideas from Startup Xpress 2023 will be invited for final pitching out of which 10 ideas will be awarded with a cash prize of Rs 10,000 each to encourage these young students and build their entrepreneurial spirit.